Days in the Akatsuki

Days in the Akatsuki

Hyuga Yuto reached out, took the clothes hanging on the hook, felt them, and frowned deeply.

—The damned weather in the Hidden Rain Village. The clothes had been washed for two days, yet they were still damp.

Though he could not use Fire Style, as a ninja, drying clothes was simplicity itself. If worse came to worst, he could perform an entire set of Gentle Fist in front of the wet clothes and use the force of his punches to blow them dry.

Yet Hyuga Yuto was rather old-fashioned in certain ways. Even after transmigrating into the world of Naruto, he still believed that "clothes must be air-dried naturally."

With no other choice, Hyuga Yuto hung the clothes back up and changed into a windbreaker—blue-black, high-collared, the Akatsuki's current standard attire.

"I'll wear these outfits more often for a while... Strutting around the Hidden Rain Village in Hidden Leaf Village-style clothing really is a bit too conspicuous."

He pushed open the door and left his room, only to run into Takeda Shigen from next door.

"Hyuga." Takeda Shigen gave him a look. "This outfit really suits you. Sure enough, handsome guys look good in anything..."

Hyuga Yuto smiled. "Brother Takeda, please arrange for someone to bring over a few more sets of clothes. I train every day, so I need fresh changes of clothing daily."

"Huh? We should have dry air vents here. They blow out air heated by Fire Style through the pipes."

"I prefer air-drying them naturally... Sorry to trouble you, Brother Takeda."

"Fine." Takeda Shigen shrugged. The Akatsuki was not so stingy that it could not spare a few sets of clothes. "Hyuga, don't think I'm nagging, but with such a damp climate, naturally dried clothes might smell moldy... Oh, you can ask Kaoru for some seeds and put them in your clothes. That way, they won't smell strange."

Takeda Shigen was currently the Akatsuki's fourth-ranking figure. Unlike the first three leaders, he had something of a "mom friend" air about him. He was endlessly chatty, and once he got started, he could not stop.

"Asano Kaoru loves collecting seeds. Even after a battle, when she's lying on the ground half-dead, if she sees a pretty flower bud, she'll pluck it and bring it home to make into a seed specimen..."

Hyuga Yuto smiled and pulled out a yellow seed. "You and Miss Asano had the same idea. She gave me a jar of them two days ago. They work very well for removing odors."

"Oh? Hahaha, see? Kaoru and I have known each other for many years. Whether in battle or anything else, we have great chemistry. That's the friendship between companions forged through life-and-death trials, hahaha..."

"Just companions?" A mischievous impulse suddenly rose in Hyuga Yuto, and he began teasing the honest man. "Actually, I've wanted to say this for a long time... You and Miss Asano are really well matched. A female subordinate who dares pinch her superior's waist—I've never seen that before. You two are actually a couple, secretly dating, right?"

"Hey, hey, hey... Don't talk nonsense. People might misunderstand." Takeda Shigen, the mighty fourth-ranking figure of the Akatsuki and a veteran jonin who had weathered countless storms, suddenly flushed bright red. He looked around in every direction, then fled as though running for his life, muttering as he left, "What couple, what secret dating... Honestly, it doesn't even sound interesting... Hmph!"

Watching Takeda Shigen's retreating figure, Hyuga Yuto shook his head and continued onward.

Come to think of it, most men and women in the world of Naruto were quite innocent in love. Love meant a lifetime together; there was practically no such thing as falling for someone else.

He made his way familiarly through various pipes and hidden chambers before arriving at a spacious training ground.

At the center of the training ground, a red-haired young man sat cross-legged on the floor with his head lowered, as quiet as the surface of a lake.

Hyuga Yuto took a deep breath and flexed his hands.

Today was his tenth day in the Hidden Rain Village.

Nagato Uzumaki was a man of his word and deeply responsible. Having promised to help Hyuga Yuto develop a new ninjutsu, he truly gave it his all with meticulous dedication. He spent most of every day sparring with Hyuga Yuto and researching ninjutsu.

Of course, this was also related to Nagato's position in the Akatsuki. Yahiko was the leader on the surface, Konan handled logistics and intelligence, while Nagato did not manage specific affairs. He only appeared during battles, and aside from training, he had little else to do.

"I'm coming, Nagato..."

Hyuga Yuto murmured softly, his body tensing.

A shallow crater instantly appeared in the steel beneath his feet.

Roar—

A thunderous boom rang through the training ground as the branch family youth instantly dashed to Nagato Uzumaki's side.

His right hand rose high, but it was not a Gentle Fist stance familiar to the ninja world.

A fist-sized "armor" wrapped around Hyuga Yuto's right hand, like flowing water and raging wind. The armor resembled the maw of a wild beast, and at the points corresponding to Yuto's fingers were enormous fangs that sent chills down one's spine.

—Lion Fang Severance!

Hyuga Yuto slammed his palm viciously toward Nagato's chest. A sharp explosion thundered through the air; this strike was powerful enough to shatter a boulder the size of a house!

Nagato Uzumaki's half-closed eyes snapped open.

His dark-purple eyes bore concentric ripples, mysterious, powerful, and lofty.

Buzz—

Hyuga Yuto's "lion fangs" stopped just fifteen centimeters from Nagato Uzumaki's skin. A massive repulsive force blocked him, preventing him from advancing even half an inch.

Bang! Nagato lightly brought his hands together, and Hyuga Yuto was blasted away in one piece, crashing directly into a wall fifty meters away. Dust billowed up as the steel reinforcement and concrete were crushed apart. The branch family youth was embedded deep in the wall, sucking in cold air through clenched teeth.

"Very good, Yuto." Nagato Uzumaki rose and walked over to Hyuga Yuto, his tone full of praise. "You held on for four seconds longer. That's an improvement over yesterday. Now I understand why Lady Tsunade took you as her disciple... Yuto, you possess exceptional talent. One day, you will become an outstanding ninja."

"The way you said that... Someone who didn't know better might think you were mocking me."

"No, Yuto. An improvement of four seconds really is excellent."

Nagato pulled Hyuga Yuto up and carefully inspected his palm, sighing. "A ninjutsu with tremendous offensive power, but unfortunately, it places a great burden on the body. Look—your muscles have already split."

"It's fine. I know medical ninjutsu, and my teacher and I will improve this technique in the end to reduce the damage it causes to the body. What I need to do now is maximize its power."

"Good. Since Lady Tsunade will handle the finishing touches, we can proceed without restraint and add as much power as we wish." Nagato nodded. "Then let's continue... Your Lion Fang Severance is primarily built upon Gentle Fist, Monster Strength, and chakra projection. The chakra armor borrows from Wind Style and Water Style. That is an incredibly brilliant idea—motion is power. Wild water and wind are not truly much different from steel."

"But I feel that this technique has not yet reached perfection."

"If we can borrow the principles of Wind Style and Water Style, why not try adding more things?"

"I thought about it for a long time last night, Yuto. Today, let's try incorporating the principles of Earth Style."

"Look, this is Earth Style: Earth-Flow Palm. We can imitate this method of channeling chakra..."

(End of Chapter)